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Jim Irsay collected several pieces of iconic sports memorabilia during his lifetime.
The late Indianapolis Colts owner’s collection was offered in a live online auction at Christie’s, an art and luxury auction house. From Thursday through Saturday, the collection generated more than $93 million at auction, far exceeding its pre-auction $40 million estimate.
Aside from the coveted music pieces, the sports-themed items in Irsay’s collection sold at auction included Secretariat’s 1973 Triple Crown saddle, Wayne Gretzky’s Edmonton Oilers jersey he wore when he scored his NHL record 500th goal and one of Jackie Robinson’s bats from the 1953 season.
The saddle commanded a horse racing item record price of $1.524 million, the Oilers’ jersey drew $952,500 and Robinson’s bat brought in $406,400.
“The Irsay sale did justice to the brilliance of the collector and of the monumental pieces he brought together, iconic objects that tell the story of our culture and our times,” Julien Pradels, president of Christie’s Americas, said in a statement.
PEYTON MANNING, PAT MCAFEE, OTHER SPORTS STARS MOURN COLTS OWNER JIM IRSAY AFTER DEATH AT 65
“The Irsay collection is singular, but Christie’s will have other amazing sales in the space moving forward.”
The auction of Irsay’s memorabilia set 23 world records, including a Pink Floyd guitar becoming the most expensive ever sold at auction. Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour played the black Fender Stratocaster on six of the band’s albums.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Irsay’s collection will be donated to the philanthropic causes the late NFL owner championed during his lifetime, according to Christie’s.
The FBI launched a probe into the circumstances of Irsay’s death, including a possible connection to his relationship with Dr. Harry Haroutunian, an addiction specialist based in California who reportedly prescribed him pain pills and ketamine.
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